Chapter 183 : Chapter 183

Chapter 183 : Survival of the Fittest (3)

I unfolded my movement technique and climbed to the edge of the coastal cliff in a single breath.

In the center of the stone altar, Rosaria, who became the Moon, stood tall like a statue.

‘As expected. She wasn’t destroyed.’

That day, with the sacrifice of the Ultimate Dal, Panika, all the moons and automata of Grimlok disappeared into the Heavenly Demon.

Because of the physical distance between Grimlok and Brakenport, Rosaria was not swept up in the aftermath?

I don't think so.

Rustle.

I first hid my body behind a tree at a distance.

Near the altar, there weren't as many as McRay had made a fuss about, but guys presumed to be Alkabang's Gang were loitering around.

‘…….’

I narrowed my eyes. The feeling was truly strange.

In Manuan's retrospection, I had watched the shocking tragedy of a beautiful woman hardening into a cold machine in its entirety.

That very Rosaria was right before my eyes.

‘What kind of problem arose?’

Rosaria was not much different from her appearance in the retrospection.

Her surface still flowed with luster as if she had just been sculpted.

It was understandable that these guys called her a Goddess Statue.

‘Is it just that the loud lights have disappeared?’

I activated Ghost Eye. At that moment, I realized immediately.

‘The flow of mana…… is gone.’

It wasn't that it had completely evaporated.

The minimum mana required to form the artificial body still clung to it in clumps.

However, the flow that mages always emphasize could not be felt at all.

‘If compared to a real person, is it a state where she is still breathing but cannot open her eyes?’

My hand unknowingly went to the sword hilt.

Is it right to completely end Rosaria now?

‘…….’

It was the moment I was contemplating.

Step, step.

Startled, I looked to the side.

Someone who appeared suddenly was walking toward the altar.

‘That person is the one from earlier…….’

It was the old man.

Flustered, I hurriedly looked around, but McRay was nowhere to be seen.

The old man's gait still looked uncomfortable.

It was strange that he climbed up here with that body, but the fact that he arrived this quickly made even less sense.

A mage?

No, I shook my head.

It was said that only Roland could implement the Spatial Transfer Gate.

Well, Ayan can do it now too, but anyway.

“Ah, that old man again…….”

One of the gang members who discovered the old man grimaced as if sick of it.

Regardless of what they said, the old man walked toward the altar as if he didn't care about such things.

Two guys blocked the old man's path.

The old man tried to step aside without a word.

Each time, the guys sidestepped to block him and giggled as if teasing him was fun.

“Hey, you tiresome old geezer. How did you crawl up here again? Ha― damn, you really have a knack for this.”

“Oi, Luke. Old man. Go down nicely. We won't let you off today.”

The old man, Luke, slowly raised his head. I could only watch his back.

“Is Moros……”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“……Has Moros truly arrived?”

Moros? I narrowed my eyes.

The two guys also stared at each other blankly.

“What is Moros?”

“Don't know. Maybe his wife's name or something.”

“Is that so? What a fucked up name to hear. Is she a noble or what?”

One guy pushed Luke's shoulder lightly.

“Get lost.”

“…….”

“I said get lost, you old geezer.”

Swish―

A thin ray of light flashed first, followed by a sound.

It was an instant.

“……Uh?”

The arm of the guy pushing Luke was cut off. No, it would be more accurate to say it disappeared.

The guy stared blankly at his missing arm.

From the clean cross-section, blood didn't even splatter loudly.

“My arm?”

A sound came from a distance as if answering.

Not only the two guys but my gaze also moved there.

The guy's severed arm was lying there alone.

“……Uwaaaaaaaaack!”

“Th, This old geezer has gone cr, crazy―!”

Slice―

Luke's left arm looked blurry for a moment.

Then, one of the other guy's feet disappeared.

For me, seeing up to this point was the best I could do.

“What the, fuck.”

“Hey! Block him!”

Sounds of drawing blades rang out from here and there.

Soon, all the big guys around the altar rushed in.

However―

Spurt!

Starting with one guy.

Slash―

Two guys.

Swish― Swish―

In an instant, about ten guys fell away.

“…….”

I let out a vain breath unknowingly.

Luke merely walked while limping.

Yet, all the guys rushing from both sides collapsed with their limbs cut off one by one.

It wasn't even loud.

It was to the point where the guys who were hit just sat down blinking, not knowing the reason.

Gulp.

I swallowed dry saliva.

Goosebumps rose.

It wasn't because it was cruel.

It was because I couldn't properly see a single one of Luke's movements.

Step, step.

Luke walked through the guys sprawled like fallen leaves.

His gait still looked uncomfortable.

“Ah―”

Luke stood under Rosaria, who was stiff like a stone statue and looked up quietly.

Occasionally, a hoarse sigh was heard.

How long did he stay like that?

He turned around and started trudging back the way he came.

Every time he took a step, the sprawled guys flinched.

Clack.

Is this my instinct sensing something, or simply a swordsman's competitive spirit?

I don't know, damn it.

When I came to my senses, I was already standing blocking Luke's path.

“…….”

“…….”

Luke raised his eyes.

His pupil color was turbid, so I couldn't even tell if he was looking at me or not.

‘Will conversation work?’

At the fleeting question―

I shook my head.

How stupid.

Click―

I pushed up the handguard of the Heavenly Demon with my thumb.

The man in front of me was just a senile and hunched old man.

Yet, my whole body trembled.

A herbivore standing before a beast.

The realm of instinct that far transcends reason and logic.

There is no reason.

I just felt that way.

“Huff! Huff! Ah damn! I'm dying!”

It was McRay coming up from behind. He approached my side, his shoulders heaving as he vomited rough breaths.

“Uncle― piggyback me.”

Luke whined like a child.

For a moment, I doubted my ears.

My expression right now must be quite a sight.

“Oh, really! When did you two― uh……?”

McRay’s eyes widened as if they would pop out.

He approached the sprawled Alkabang's Gang guys.

His staggering gait was precarious as if he would collapse.

“…….”

McRay stopped and muttered blankly.

That we're fucked.

“Uncleee―”

In the midst of that, Luke wrapped his arm around McRay’s neck and shook him.

I turned my head in despondency.

In that gaze turned inadvertently, I saw it fleetingly.

Blood droplets splattered on Rosaria's cheek were flowing down like tears of blood.

***

“You think your fist is quite strong on its own, right?”

While walking for a while, Bolero spat out abruptly.

Tiaro looked up at him blankly.

It was so out of context that he was just dumbfounded.

“What are you saying all of a sudden? Out of nowhere.”

“Not at all. You are just a fledgling. Don't be mistaken.”

“……?”

Tiaro stopped abruptly and cracked his neck left and right.

“Customer or whatever, let's fight, you fucker.”

The sharp remark seemed to light a fuse.

Instantly, the surrounding air heated up.

The vagrants of Brakenport sensitively read these temperature changes.

Because it was a signal for a fight.

A crowd gathered in a circle around Bolero and Tiaro in no time.

It was in the middle of the street.

“Ohh! That mad dog Tiaro is fighting again!”

“Who is that guy? His physique is no joke?”

“Tiaro is a guy who doesn't give a fuck about things like that.”

Bolero pulled the corners of his mouth leisurely.

“Have you ever felt the fear of death, boy?”

“Bluffing. Don't act up trusting your size, old man. Did you see yesterday? Do you know how many big guys crawled under my crotch?”

“Your spirit is extremely to my liking.”

Tiaro smirked and kneaded his knuckles firmly.

The sound of bones cracking rang out.

“Fine, old man. Instead, no hard feelings, okay? You tell Ellen honestly that you got beaten up for acting up.”

Tiaro kicked off the ground in a breath.

At the same time, the onlookers' exclamations burst out.

“Ohh―!”

“Wow, look at that speed! They said he was only a hair's breadth difference from Ellen, indeed…….”

Smack!

Along with a sticky sound, all sorts of noises stopped abruptly.

The onlookers all blinked their eyes.

“Uh?”

“What?”

“Did something just flash?”

Before anyone knew it, Bolero and Tiaro had switched positions.

Tiaro caressed his cheek.

A stinging pain spread belatedly.

‘Wh, what, just now……?’

For a moment, it flashed before his eyes.

Let alone what happened, he couldn't even understand how he was standing right now.

“Are you okay, boy?”

“……!”

Tiaro turned his head sharply.

What entered his widened eyes was the hem of a cape fluttering leisurely in the wind, and the back visible through it.

The finely split muscles were very angry.

“Ah, this is a bit troubling. Controlling strength is difficult, you see.”

One corner of Bolero's mouth curled up as he turned around.

“Ooh―!”

“Crazy!”

“What was that just now!”

The onlookers shouted.

In an instant, it was an atmosphere of frenzy.

Tiaro clenched his molars.

He rushed in again without hesitation.

Thwack!

“……!”

Tiaro's eyes widened as if they would pop out any moment.

The opponent was blocking his fist with two fingers.

“Don't be too disheartened, boy. Still, it isn't one finger.”

“……You, you dog fucking bastard―!”

Instantly, Tiaro's vision spun around.

The ground and sky swapped places, and the moment they found their places, he realized he was hanging in the air.

His waist was firmly stuck in the Bolero's side.

He couldn't move a muscle.

“This is the first lesson.”

Goosebumps washed over him.

The voice was endlessly gentle.

“Speak prettily.”

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

Bolero slapped Tiaro's buttocks mercilessly with his palm.

The faces of the onlookers, who had shut their mouths at some point, gradually turned pale.

On the other hand, Tiaro's face turned crimson like a fireball.

Thud.

After a while, Bolero put Tiaro down.

It was indifferent, like putting down baggage.

Tiaro jumped up.

He screamed as if trying to shake off the shame and rushed in again immediately.

“Aaaaack!”

However, his vision flipped again.

Before he knew it, Bolero was gone, and the hardened faces of the onlookers were visible in front of him.

His hands were already tied behind his back.

“This is the second lesson.”

Tiaro's pupils shook.

One side of his cheek felt warm.

Slurp―

“Let's recite a spell―”

“……!”

Lyrics mixed with laughter tickled his ear.

“I am a gentle sheep~♬”

A creepy voice pressed down on Tiaro's entire body.

It was an overwhelming fear he had never felt in his life.

***

“You came from the Empire?”

Alkabang muttered indifferently.

He was trimming his nails with a pocket knife while sitting at his office desk.

When he blew 'hoo―' on the cuticles, white powder scattered.

“Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?”

Ellen hurriedly lowered his head lest their eyes met.

Thanks to that, Alkabang's gaze slid toward Noser behind Ellen.

Noser was calmly looking around the office here and there.

He, who was snooping around as if the decorations hanging on the wall and the rug on the floor were fascinating, finally met eyes with Alkabang.

Noser raised only his eyebrows and gave a light eye greeting.

“……?”

Alkabang narrowed his brow and turned his gaze back to Ellen.

Only then was it visible.

The face hiding as if looking away, the eye area bruised blue.

‘Ellen isn't a guy who goes around getting beaten by someone?’

Alkabang asked.

“……You, what is with that eye?”

Ellen did not answer.

Silence settled for a moment.

Alkabang's gaze headed toward Noser again.

Noser shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.